Section 4 - What is a shave ready razor?

[joel]

This exists as a separate section to reinforce how important this is. When you buy a new straight razor from an online retailer, or a brick and mortar store, it is almost never shave ready. If the retailer SPECIFICALLY STATES the razor has been honed and made shave ready BY HAND, or has been honed by a “honemeister” then you probably have a shave ready razor, however if the razor has never been opened, and has come straight from the factory – there is a VERY slim chance that the razor will be shave ready. Some will require just a light touch up hone, and others may require up to an hour (or more) of a skilled “honemeisters” touch.



THE most important key to your success with a straight razor, is starting with a properly honed, keen edge that someone (with ideally years of experience) has both sharpened and test shaved with. Simply buying a new razor, or picking up an ebay razor – is NOT sufficient, and will NOT yield good results. Also, don’t be fooled, honing is NOT easy, hones are quite expensive, and you do not want to start off handicapped – not knowing if your razor is sharp enough. You will have a miserable time attempting to hone your first razor, and you will almost surely fail.



DO –
1.) Get your razor (ideally) from someone on the forum who has been around for at least a year, and has a fair amount of posts. This isn’t a “sure bet” but typically individuals who have been around for awhile, and who are relatively active/interested in the hobby are going to be significantly better at both honing, and helping you in your adventure.
2.) If you are buying new – make sure it has been honed properly. If not – send it out to be honed by someone who has been straight razor shaving for a while.
3.) Get the best razor that fits your needs, and your budget. Cutting corners, or “cheaping out” will not get you a good razor. Be HIGHLY suspect of a straight razor costing less than $40. The rule of thumb “you get what you pay for” applies to a certain extent – in that the quality of the razor (shave-wise and fit & finish) tends to increase up to about $100 or so. After $100, most of what you are paying for is enhances ascetics, custom features, rare or historical blades, and so on and so forth. This doesn’t mean that you can’t spend $40 on a nice razor on ebay in mint condition, send it out to be honed, and end up with a better shaving razor than a $100 (or more) new or used razor, nonetheless when selecting a razor, typically if it’s going for close to, or more than $100 on ebay, it’s doing so for a reason, and likewise with new razors. Do you need the flashiest razor out there? Heavens no, a plain handled new razor from Thiers Issard, or Dovo for example can be a superb razor for under $100 as well, but – you’ll be more interested, and have more fun/excitement/pleasure using one that speaks to you design wise. Remember, pending you don’t do anything silly with it, a straight razor will be a lifelong tool, and will supply you with a lifetimes worth of shaves. Do it once… do it right.

DON’T –
1.) Assume your razor is shave ready.
2.) Buy your first razor off of ebay, unless it has been honed, and is being sold by a reputable dealer.
3.) Try to hone your first razor.
4.) Cheap out on equipment. You don’t need the flashiest things, but you DO want top quality, as a strop, hone and razor will last generations.

PROCEED TO THE NEXT SECTION OF THE GUIDE - Section 5 - 1, Different parts of a straight razor...

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[the wanderer]

DON’T –
3.) Try to hone your first razor.

You may have been asked this before, but for someone who has a _lot_ of experience sharpening knives and broadheads would this hold true?

I'm no stranger to a whetstone, and I frequently sharpen my Benchmade knife to a fine razor edge. I've shaved with it once without terribly undue discomfort. I used to bowhunt with the old-school broadheads that you sharpened yourself, and while the hair on my face wasn't much to speak of back then those things would take the hair off my arms without me even feeling it.

I'm getting ready to make the plunge into straight razor shaving, so I just wanted to ask someone who knows more than I do.

[ouch]

You may have been asked this before, but for someone who has a _lot_ of experience sharpening knives and broadheads would this hold true?

I'm no stranger to a whetstone, and I frequently sharpen my Benchmade knife to a fine razor edge. I've shaved with it once without terribly undue discomfort. I used to bowhunt with the old-school broadheads that you sharpened yourself, and while the hair on my face wasn't much to speak of back then those things would take the hair off my arms without me even feeling it.

I'm getting ready to make the plunge into straight razor shaving, so I just wanted to ask someone who knows more than I do.

In theory, honing a razor should be much easier than sharpening a knife, but it's not. You lay the blade flat, as you would a single edge knife, so there's no fiddling around to find the proper angle. That would make it seem a snap, but razors seem to be very persnickety. It's also much more important to use stones that are dead flat. Having a background with knives and stones will help, but there will still be a considerable learning curve.

[joel]

It took me a year before I could get a razor as sharp as I could get a knife - no joke. Sharpening razors and knives are like driving a car VS riding a motorcycle, just cause you can drive a car - doesn't mean you can hop on a motorcycle and take off.

I would actually say knowing a lot about knife sharpening and having a lot of experience sharpening knives is a BAD thing, as it's so different, and to such a finer detail - the skills you've learned honing knives and the muscle memory you've acquired will HURT - honing a straight.

Remember.... on a knife - you WANT a wire edge. On a straight, you DON'T want a wire edge, and you're actually taking the edge of the razor to the absolute limit of the steel.

[the wanderer]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm hoping muscle memory won't be too big of a deal, since I plan on buying larger hones than I've ever used on a knife. Most of my knife sharpening is done with a 1"x3" EZE-Lap diamond stone, and I plan on only using a bench stone on my razor, when I get it.

What I was chiefly wondering was if I know what it means (and how to get it) to have the bevel correct on both sides of the blade, and know how to distinguish between a wire edge and not, if that's enough that I won't be super likely to ruin my razor.

[joel]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm hoping muscle memory won't be too big of a deal, since I plan on buying larger hones than I've ever used on a knife. Most of my knife sharpening is done with a 1"x3" EZE-Lap diamond stone, and I plan on only using a bench stone on my razor, when I get it.

What I was chiefly wondering was if I know what it means (and how to get it) to have the bevel correct on both sides of the blade, and know how to distinguish between a wire edge and not, if that's enough that I won't be super likely to ruin my razor.

Alex,
No offense - but it sounds like you made your mind up already Again, honing a knife and a razor is wildly different - but you'll find out soon enough.

[the wanderer]

None taken. You're probably right, as I am kind of a hard-headed, slow learning type. I do plan on purchasing my razor from ClassicShaving via Lynn's honing service, so at least I'll have a baseline to work toward.

I forgot to mention earlier that these guides of yours are awesome. Thanks for being willing to share your wisdom with the rest of us.

[Chady]

Lynn as you mentioned has some solid advice on honing on his cd. You can also find pyramid advice for different levels of sharpening needed on his site, but its probably the same info going around over here.
But as he makes sure to stress there are more than one way to hone a razor.

-Just checked the cd again and it also gives pyramid advice for a razor which is in need of regular maintenance.

[ernestrome]

It took me a year before I could get a razor as sharp as I could get a knife - no joke. Sharpening razors and knives are like driving a car VS riding a motorcycle, just cause you can drive a car - doesn't mean you can hop on a motorcycle and take off.

I would actually say knowing a lot about knife sharpening and having a lot of experience sharpening knives is a BAD thing, as it's so different, and to such a finer detail - the skills you've learned honing knives and the muscle memory you've acquired will HURT - honing a straight.

Remember.... on a knife - you WANT a wire edge. On a straight, you DON'T want a wire edge, and you're actually taking the edge of the razor to the absolute limit of the steel.

One wouldn't want a wire edge on a knife. It is fragile and cutting performance will degrade rapidly.

Personally, I have found a great deal of cross over between the skills and knowledge and equipment needed to hone a razor or a knife, however they are not the same skill/technique.

[Gritter]

Remember.... on a knife - you WANT a wire edge. On a straight, you DON'T want a wire edge, and you're actually taking the edge of the razor to the absolute limit of the steel.

I always take it to "the limit of the steel" on knives - just at much less steep angles.

I'm new at this, but I can get knives "shaving sharp", no problem, so this really intrigues me. I think I could do it, by checking it with a microscope between strops. I'm pretty sure, if you even touch it, you ruin the edge.

I really enjoy your tutorial. Thanks.

[Rollie Juddernaut Fingers]

It took me a year before I could get a razor as sharp as I could get a knife - no joke. Sharpening razors and knives are like driving a car VS riding a motorcycle, just cause you can drive a car - doesn't mean you can hop on a motorcycle and take off.

I would actually say knowing a lot about knife sharpening and having a lot of experience sharpening knives is a BAD thing, as it's so different, and to such a finer detail - the skills you've learned honing knives and the muscle memory you've acquired will HURT - honing a straight.

Remember.... on a knife - you WANT a wire edge. On a straight, you DON'T want a wire edge, and you're actually taking the edge of the razor to the absolute limit of the steel.

You are talking about HONING Your Razor, right out of the box. (I.E. setting the bevel and then polishing, and then finishing). Not touching up a straight on a barber hone after a few months of using it, correct?